‘Resilience is crucial’: Valérie Grenier on what it takes to race at the top
With excitement building for the new 2023/24 season, we sat down with one of Canada’s premier Alpine Ski racers, Valérie Grenier, to discuss her impressive career and what it takes to race at the pinnacle of the sport.
After an injury kept her out of successive seasons, Valérie earned her first World Cup victory last season — making her the first Canadian woman to win a World Cup giant slalom since 1974.
You can catch Valérie in World Cup action on her home slopes of Tremblant this weekend. At White Star Capital, we’re incredibly proud to be supporting Valérie as a sponsor for the coming season and will be cheering her on as one of Canada’s brightest Olympic prospects.
You’ve had an amazing couple of years, what’s been the highlight?
If I had to pick one, I would say my victory last season in Kranjska Gora. I’d been working so hard towards a podium finish since joining the World Cup circuit at 18 years old. To do it by winning both runs was an unbelievable experience and not something I’d anticipated.
What is the most important quality a professional ski racer needs to succeed, and how has that quality helped you in your career so far?
For me, resilience is crucial and it’s definitely something that I’ve had to rely on over the years. I’ve found it most valuable when dealing with injuries. I had a massive setback in 2019, and although it was initially meant to be a relatively simple recovery, it took way longer than expected to get back to skiing. I had to work hard and be extremely patient, but came back even stronger than before. Also, skiing is a tough sport and brings more defeats than successes — having a high threshold of resilience helps to accept those and find the silver linings to keep learning and developing.
Both entrepreneurship and professional sports can be unpredictable. How do you stay focused on your goals despite the uncertainty?
This sport involves a lot of moving around. There’s always something happening, and our environments are always changing, but I find it super helpful to have a routine. Every morning I do the same thing. I wake up, do my breathwork, and then move into the morning routine with hot lemon water. This familiarity and structure helps me stay grounded and focused. I feel so lucky to be doing what I do and I try to keep that big picture in mind to maintain focus throughout the season.
What strategies or techniques do you use to improve your skills and stay ahead of the curve?
We’re constantly analysing our training footage. After training, we’ll watch a video of every run that we did, analyse, see where we did well, where we can improve, and then make a plan for the next day. This constant iteration helps hone our strengths and develop weaker parts of our skills.
Building a successful business requires a lot of teamwork and collaboration, as does succeeding in sport, have you had to work with your team to overcome a specific challenge(s)?
Coming back from injury required a lot of support from my team, both in practical and mental terms. I think that was something that made a big, big difference — just knowing that they were waiting for me to get back and that still had belief in me. But, also in general, there’s no way I could do what I do without them. For example, our physios are with us every day on the hill and then after skiing too to make sure we’re in the best possible shape come race day. We have our trainers working out with us, and coaches on the snow setting the courses. There’s a big team and I can’t imagine doing what I do without them.
How do you approach preparing for important competitions and races? Do you have a routine to ensure you’re in the best possible mindset?
Maybe not so much of a routine, but I have my favourite ‘lucky’ kit that I always wear on race day. After that, it all comes down to executing my warmup and playing some of my favourite tunes — I have a particularly eclectic playlist to boost my mood ahead of each race!
Finally, how do you balance the demands of training and competing with other aspects of your life, such as family or hobbies?
I don’t feel like I’m making any sacrifices because I love the life that I’m living. I just feel very lucky. For sure, moving around all the time is hard, but once you get used to it, it becomes part of the game. During the season it’s hard to find the time for hobbies, but as a team we do try to get off the hill and try ski touring, cross-country skiing, and other winter sports.
